Publication: Occupational Outlook Quarterly
Publication Date: 22-MAR-07
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: Blanchard, Sadie
Article Excerpt
When Will Wilkinson decided to major in philosophy his father wondered about the usefulness of the degree. "My dad asked if I was going to work in a philosophy factory," says Wilkinson. "And now, I guess I do."
Wilkinson is a policy analyst for a think tank in Washington, D.C. As his anecdote suggests, think tanks are, in a sense, idea factories. They employ policy analysts to research complex problems and recommend solutions. Issues range from education to healthcare to national defense.
In fact, the ideas for many current laws and policies originated with policy analysts in think tanks and other private organizations. Policy analysts--also called researchers, scholars, and fellows--work to raise public awareness of social issues, such as crime prevention, access to healthcare, and protection of the environment. And in the solutions they propose, these policy analysts hope to influence government action.
Policy analysts who work for governments create policy and evaluate program effectiveness; some help to decide which private organizations should be awarded publicly funded grants. For example, policy analysts might suggest ideas for a county recycling plan, report on how well a State project met its objectives, or propose funds for relief organizations to aid rebuilding after a natural disaster. Analysts in government provide decisionmakers with data and hypotheses about the effects of different policies.
Keep reading to find out more about policy analysts' work. For the purpose of this article, policy analysts are defined as workers who concentrate on researching, evaluating, and shaping public policy. You'll learn what they do, how their research agenda is determined, what they earn, and how they train for these careers. You'll also learn where to get more information about opportunities in this occupation.
How they shape policy
Policy analysts work to influence political and social decisions. Although their tasks vary, most policy analysts work in one or more of four areas: collecting information, analyzing potential policies and making recommendations, evaluating the outcomes of existing policies, and sharing information with the public and government officials.
Some analysts also evaluate policy philosophically. They critique the principles behind policies and describe the values that they believe should drive policy decisions.
Collecting and compiling information. Policy analysts gather information, especially statistical data, to help explore issues and explain the solutions they propose. When used correctly, statistics can identify hidden problems and reveal the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of policies. Policy analysts gather new statistics by conducting their own surveys, or they compile existing statistics into an analysis that conveys a new meaning....
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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